Method of making comfortables from continuous fabrics



(No Model.)

P. L. PALMER. METHOD OF MAKING GOMFORTABLES FROM GONTINUOUS FABRICS. N0. 363,6,70

Patented May 24, 1887.

N PEI'ERS. Phowumo n hu. Washington, 0. c.

UNITED, STATES v PATENT FRANK L. PALMER, OF NE\V LONDON, CONNECTICUT.

METHOD OF MAKING COMFO RTABLES FROM CONTINUOUS FABRICS- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 368,670, dated May 24, 1887.

Application filed January2l,l8$7. Sc1'ialNo.,22l,993. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK L. PALMER, of New London, in the county of New London and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Method of Making Comfortables from Continuous Fabrics, of which the following is a specification. My invention relates to an improvement in the method of making comfortables, which involves the securing together of two continuous face fabrics and an interposed layer of filling, thereby forming a continuous compound fabric, which is afterward cut transversely into pieces of the proper size to form comfortables. In carrying out this method it has been usual, aftereutting the fabric trans versely into comfortables,to finish the ends of the comfortable by pulling out a portion of the cotton or other filling for a short distance from its cut end and across the width, and to then turn in the raw edges'of the face fabrics and stitch them together. This method of finishing the cut ends of the comfortables is undesirable, because it is impossible to pull out the filling along a straight line and at some portions or points in the width of the comfortable too much filling will be pulled out, while at other points not enough will be removed. This gives the filling at the ends of the comfortables an irregular outline, and the stitching together of the face fabrics after the filling is removed gives to the comfortable an irregular or thin edge or end.

The object of my invention is to enable the finishing of the ends of a comfortable to be done at less expense, and also to finish the ends in an even and regular manner and to maintain the filling of full thickness entirely to the ends of the face fabrics.

Incarrying out my invention I first secure together two continuous face fabrics and an interposed filling inordcr to forma compound fabric, and I subsequently cut-the compound fabric transversely to form comfortables which have their cut edges or ends full, or with the filling coincident with the face fabrics and exposed to view at the ends of the comfortable, and Iafterward apply over the raw end of the comfortable an end protection strip, which forms a finish thereto and conceals and confines the filling, while maintaining the full thickness at the cut ends of the comfortable. The face'fabrics and filling are usually secured together both at their edges by straight lines of stitching and throughout their width by lines ofquilting, and the end-protection strip which I apply not only covers and conceals the raw edges of the fabrics, but also covers the cut ends of the threads whereby the single fabrics are secured together.

In applying the end-protection strip,above described, I prefer to secure a strip of proper width directly across the continuous fabric at the desired point by parallel rows of stitching, and then cut through the compoundfabric and strip between the parallel rows of stitching and transversely to the compound fabric; and I finally fold the cut portions of the strip over the raw ends of the compound fabric and there secure them by lines of stitching.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a portion of a continuous compound fabric of sufficient length to form one comfortable aud portions of two others, showing the strips of fabric which are to form the end protections of the comfortables as exaggerated in Width and secured transversely to the compound fabric by parallel rows of stitching. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of a portion of the compound fabric shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar sect-ion showing the adjacent ends of two coinfortables formed by cutting the compound fabric transversely between the paral lel lines of stitching, which secure the endprotection strip thereto; and Fig. 4 is a sectional View similar to Fig. 3, showing the endprotection strips as folded over the raw or cut ends of the eomfortables, and secured thereto. Similar letters of reference designate corre sponding parts in all the figures.

In carrying out my invention I first produce a continuous compound fabric, which is cut transversely to form comfortables, and which IOO in my Letters Patent No. 354,806, dated December 21, 1886; and in this example of my in ables.

fortables the ends of the comfortables will be raw, or have the inteposed filling exposed, as

shown in Fig. 3; and according to the method now employed of finishing these ends the filling has been pulled out across the comfortable for a short distance inward from its cut end, and the face fabrics have been folded in and stitched. This has reduced the size of the comfortable somewhat, and is also objectionable, because it is impossible to pull the filling out at the end along a straight line, and at certain points in the width of the comfortable too much filling is pulled out, while at other points not enough is removed. This method gives a thin and uneven or lumpy end to the comfortable.

According to my method I leave the cut ends of the comfortable full, or with the filling 0 coincident with the ends of the face fabrics b, as shown in Fig. 4, and I apply to these raw or cut ends, which are left full, end-protection strips B, as shown in Fig. 4. This enables me to finish the comfortable of somewhat larger size than has been before possible, and to leave the filling full clear to the end of the comfortable, thereby maintaining the full thickness and forming a straight and perfect edge, and to avoid the thin and lump'y or uneven end which has been a result of the old method of finishing the ends.

The particular manner in which I prefer to apply the end-protection strips B will bebest understood from Figs. 1, 2, and 3. lVhile the compound fabric A is continuous or before it is cut transversely, I apply across its face transverse strips B, which are shown in Fig. l, at the points where it is to be cut transversely to form comfortables, and I secure such strips B by parallel rows of stitching e, the parallel rows being placed at suitable distances apart.

After the strips B are applied, I cut through the compound fabric and also through the strip B, along the dotted line f and between the parallel rows of stitching e, and I thus divide the continuous compound fabric into portions A, which are of the proper size to form comfort- Figs. 3 and 4. only show the adjacent ends of two such portions, the two ends each having a portion of the strip B secured to them each by a row of stitching, e, as will be understood from Fig. 3. I do not then pull out any of the filling c, as has been usual; but I leave the cut ends h of the comfortables full, as shown in Fig. 3, or with the filling c coincident with the cut ends of the face fabrics b, and after this is done Ifold the end-protection strips B in the direction of the arrows shown in Fig. 3 over the raw or cut ends of the comfortables and bring them to the position shown in Fig. 4, where they are secured by an additional row of stitching, e. In this way I ob tain a neat finish for the cut or raw ends of the comfortable, which I produce of the full size to which it is cut and without any reduction in length, which is necessary when the filling at the ends is pulled out and the face fabrics are turned in and stitched down.

It will also be observed that the end-protection strips B, which I apply to the comfortablcs, not only cover the raw or cut edges or ends of the face fabrics b 0, but they also coverthe cut ends of the thread employed in making the stitching (l d, and thus give avery neat finish to the ends'of the comfortables.

My invention only relates to a method of making comfortables which is continuous that is to say, which involves the preparation of a compound fabric, and the cutting of this compound fabric transversely into pieces of the proper size to form comfortables.

I am aware that blankets have been finished with a binding and that shirt-bosom protectors have been formed of several thicknesses connected by a binding, and I have therefore limited my invention to an improvement in the method of making comfortables from continuous fabrics, whereby the edges are secured, and which is preferable to the old method of finishing the cut ends, as before described. When the ends have been finished, as heretofore, by pulling out the filling ,along the end and turning in and sewing together the face fabrics, the end is necessarily lumpy and uneven, the comfortable is slightly reduced in length and the quilting-threads are not 0011- cealed. lVhen the compound fabric is cut, the filling extends to the ends and is coincident with the ends of the face fabrics, and by ap plying the end-protection strips to the raw ends or edges of such compound fabric the filling and the ends of the quilting-threads are concealed, and the compound fabric or comfortable is maintained of full thickness entirely to the ends, and the ends or edges are perfectly straight and true.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The improvement in the method of making comfortables from continuous fabrics, consisting in securing together two face fabrics and an interposed filling, in subsequently cutting the compound fabric transversely to form com fortables, which have their cut ends full or with the filling coincident with the face fabrics and exposed at the ends of the comfortable, and in afterward applying end-protection strips to the cut ends of the comfortable, whereby such cut ends are maintained of full thickness and the filling concealed and con fined, substantially as herein described.

2. The improvement in the method of making eomfortables from continuous fabrics, con-.

sisting in securing together by quilting two face fabrics and an interposed filling,in subsequently cutting the compound fabric transversely to form comfortahles, which have their ICC cut ends full, or witlrthe'filling coincidentwith the face fabrics and exposed at the ends of the comfortable, and in afterward applying to the cut ends end-protection strips, which cover the cut ends of the fabric and the cut ends of the quilting-threadsand conceal and confine the filling, while maintaining the cut ends or edges of the comfortable of full thickness, substantially as herein described.

3. The improvement in the method of making comfortables, consisting in first producing a continuous compound fabric composed of two face fabrics and an interposed filling, in securing by parallel rows of stitching a transverse strip of fabric on the continuous compound 1 fabric, in then cutting the compound fabric through the strip and between the parallel rows of stitching, and in'finally folding the cut portions of the strip over the 'raw ends of the compound fabric and there securing them, sub- 20 stantially as herein described.

FRANK L. PALMER.

Witnesses:

0. HALL, FREDK. HAYNES. 

